I love cactus cat things. We have several scratchers and even a cactus print cat tunnel. In this post, I evaluate a few different kinds of scratching posts, providing the pros and cons of each one. It all started when our sturdy, tall but boring scratching post that we had for over a decade began to fall apart. I started researching replacements. I wanted to try something fun, but still meet the cat's needs in terms of scratching. Ideally, the post should be tall enough that a cat can reach up high with his paws and get a good back muscle stretch. Sisal is preferred by most cats, mine included.
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Cactus scratching posts are very popular since they are fun and attractive. I spent a lot of time researching posts and ended up getting a few types over several months to see what my cats preferred.
Smaller Post
The first one I purchased was from PAWS. I liked that it was affordable and had several posts on it's base.
Pros:
Easy to put together;
Cats used it for scratching, particularly Luke, pictured here;
Super fun during playtime since you can move your wand toy or teaser between the columns;
The cats enjoy when I put toys on top of the post for them to grab and knock down.
Cons:
It's not all sisal. The top of the tallest post and the entire smallest post was covered in soft carpeting which cats nails can get caught on;
It's not tall enough to get a good back muscle scratch so it's not a good replacement for the taller post we had previously.
Tall Post
I spent a lot of time looking at the 41.3 inch VETRESKA Cactus Cat Scratching Post with Sisal rope. It's on the expensive side, but it is really tall which is what I was looking for. I finally bought it. This post is tall and beautiful. The cats didn't immediately take to it, so I added silver vine odor enrichment which helped and then the next day I sprinkled catnip on top. All of the cats started to take turns checking it out, climbing it and scratching it.
Pros:
Even easier to put together than the smaller post. It comes fully assembled. You add the scratcher to the base by placing it on top which easily fits and is secure. Super easy;
Cats not only can scratch it, but climb on it;
It's beautiful and really stands out in a good way;
Tall enough to get that back stretch the cats are looking for;
All sisal rope.
Cons:
It's expensive, but I expect it to last for some time. I've already had this original one for 2 years. With 5 cats, there's some wear and tear, but it's still a functioning post;
One of the flowers came off pretty quickly, but it's not a deal breaker. I still think it's a great post;
It definitely takes up a bit of space so in a small home, this might be challenging.
I love the way the posts look near each other. You can see after a few years, the wear and tear the tall post has experienced. We do have 5 cats who all scratch it, so it would likely last longer in a home with less cats. The smaller one gets a lot of use too and we replace it annually. That's part of the process. Posts need to be replaced with time as they start to fall apart. It's a good sign that your cat loves their post when you see the wear and tear.
We liked the tall post so much, I bought a 2nd one, but this time the Vetreska with the seat. It's the exact same post, but has a flower seat on top. My cats love to rest in the seat.
It turns out, both the small and tall posts are great, but if we could only have one, I'd go with the tall one to give them that great back stretch they enjoy. It's almost time to replace the small post. I think I may try the Frisco version. It costs a little more, but it's also several inches taller. I'll keep you posted on how the cats like it compared to the PAWS.
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About the author: Jennifer Van de Kieft, CAFTP, FFCP, PNCC is located in Brooklyn, NY. She is certified in feline behavior and pet nutrition. She owns Cat Advocate, a feline behavior consulting company. She provides cat guardians with the strategies, tools and knowledge needed to address their cat's behavior issues. Jennifer provides virtual consultations throughout the United States.